A Flower blooms
by Kyoko Misami
Summary: Everything is great with Kenshin and Kaoru when all of a sudden their lives are turned upside down by the arrival of a new enemy. They are joined up by a girl named Sakura who claims to have ties with Sanosuke. Kenshin x Kaoru
1. Sakura Johji

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is not my story and never will be.

_A/N: This is my first story for Rurouni Kenshin so please treat it kindly. If been planning to write this for a while since September but it really didn't come to me. I've written drafts and drafts and hopefully this is the outcome. I hope you all enjoy._

**Chapter 1: Sakura Johji**

There was blood everywhere and there was no where to go. Silence filled the room as the clanking of armor and the beating of hoofs traveled into the distance. With war already beginning to end, a little girl leaned over her parents who were mercifully slaughtered. She knew that no one would help her now except for one person, but he was traveling with no destination. Of course he had become a rurouni. The girl grabbed her father's sword and gently rapped it with cloth so that she wouldn't get caught when the police would arrive. Her travel began to finally part revenge against her father's killer and to find Kenshin Himura.

A young woman named Sakura woke up from a nightmare with sweat dripping down her forehead. Ever since that day when she was eight, she kept recalling the same vision. That was when she lost everything, her mother, her father, and her little sister Tamao.

'It's been ten years,' she thought 'And I still can't find him.'

She flipped through her clothing and found her pouch with money. There was only 100 yen which was nearly enough to pay for the train to Tokyo. She sighed as she noticed a big tear in one of her sleeves. It must've been from those idiots from the day before. Some men had tried to steal money from her, but since they were miserly pickpockets she wouldn't allow for it to happen. The hotel manager stopped Sakura on the way out of the building. He held his hand out as to receive something.

"Um excuse me Miss Johji, your payment please?"

"But Misaoko-san I gave you my payment yesterday for only an overnight stay." She replied.

"Surely, I heard you say until nine am I correct?" the old man asked "Indeed at this moment it is ten in the morning. For that you owe me 20 yen."

Sakura found her pouch and placed a pound note in the grimy mans hands. Misaoko smiled and let her leave with great haste. Sakura sweat dropped as she glanced at how much money she had left.

"Oh great, now I'll never reach Tokyo."

A woman with black hair overheard this and motioned for the girl to come over. She had on a kimono with blue flowers and in her hand she was holding a paper bag with some large object.

"Gomen nasai but I couldn't help overhearing that you are trying to get to Tokyo?" the woman asked. "If you'd like I'm going there myself. I had to travel here for some herbal medicine."

"Arrigato you are too kind. What is your name I ask?" Sakura replied and bowed.

"My name is Ms. Megumi."

_A/N: I apologize if the first chapter was short but I assure you that the rest will at least be more then three pages. I'd like to hear any comments from you so please review. I'd also like to hear any ideas you might have for any upcoming chapters._


	2. Megumi

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is not my story and never will be.

_A/N: This is my second chapter for this story and I want you to treat it as if it was your own. Don't make me track you down, Dang nabbit! Okay just joking...I won't track you guys down. I hope you can enjoy this second installment._

**Chapter 2: Megumi.**

She couldn't help but feel as if her life was turning in the wrong direction as she followed the tall woman through the square. She held the cloth tightly as she made past policemen hoping that they wouldn't think it was a weapon. This sword was the only remains of her father and she would never let anyone take it away from her. Sakura Johji had no intentions of doing what her boss had said. Of course, he wanted the revenge upon the so called Hotokiri Bottousai.

"Megumi, so like you were explaining before you said something about a Kenshin Himura? Was that his name?"

Sakura tired to reason information from Megumi to make sure that this same man she was talking about was the actual Bottousai the manslayer. There were crowds of people trying to get onto the train as a man slammed into Sakura, knocking the cloth out of her hands.

'Oh shit!' she thought as she quickly tired to pick it up, but to no avail. A policeman on the lookout stopped her from boarding with the other passengers. He smirked as he took off the cloth and looked at a brandished sword.

"Trying to break the law are we?" He looked at the sword even closer and noticed something odd.

"This is a sakabato? Why would someone like you be carrying a sakabato?"

Sakura refused to answer and the man placed his hand under her chin. For some reason he looked frightened by her as he took out paper from his pocket with an inscription. Sakura knew that inscription anywhere.

"Are you Ms. Sakura Johji of Kyoto? I have a letter from Mr. Takei saying that you have permission from the government to carry this weapon." The policeman stated. Sakura sighed.

"Yes I am Sakura Johji of the Misurugi shrine. My I please have my sakabato back?"

The police officer fumbled and quickly gave the sword back. A whistle blew as the train was about to leave. Megumi waved to Sakura from the sidelines as it began to move. She ran after it and quickly held onto a pole and flung herself on. Megumi sighed.

"A moment later and you would have missed Tokyo." She laughed.

"Yeah don't remind me." She replied as she carried her stuff into one of the passenger seats.

Sakura had to admit that Megumi was a kind person. She was beautiful and she was a good nurse. Before they headed for the train, a man was suffering from gang green and needed some medical attention, guess who was there to help? Megumi of course! Megumi went through her pockets looking for something. It was a necklace made of shells. Sakura eyed it closely.

"Who made that? I could definitely tell it couldn't have been you." She asked.

"Oh they were from these two little girls who live at the place I am currently staying at." Megumi replied. "There are also others like Kenshin, Sanosuke, Yahiko and Kaoru."

"Tell me Megumi-Chan, what does this Kenshin look like? I'm just wondering, because you know I might have met him before."

"He is a short skinny man with long red hair and a cross shaped scar on his left cheek." Megumi replied.

Sakura dropped her bangs onto the floor and they all split open dropping the condiments. Megumi apologized and then began to pick it up with her. Sakura was surprised. She finally had found the man she was looking for. She waited ten long years and now the rein of Keitaro Ishiyama will finally end. Sakura leaned over to Megumi and gave her the largest hug which made her gasp for air.

"Arrigato Megumi-san! You've made my day all better!"

Trees passed the windows as they traveled toward their destination. Sakura couldn't help but wonder if this Bottousai will actually end all of her pain and suffering and will allow her revenge to subside.

"Sakura, how old are you?" Megumi asked. "You look no younger then twenty I might add."

"Actually no I'm eighteen years old. My parents were slaughtered when I was eight so I have been traveling ever since."

"Well," Megumi said sadly "You are probably feeling the same torment as I did."

The train whistled once for being noticed and once more when they had finally came to a stop. A couple of people screamed as three bandits leapt onboard and dragged a dead child with them. The leader took out a handgun and pointed it at each passenger.

"Okay If none of ya wanna get hurt then put all of yer cash into this here bag." He announced. Sakura finally got the chance to liven up the ride so she stood up in front of the bandits with a serious face. Her father's sword was tucked behind her.

"I'm afraid you can't barge in here like that." She said "I suggest you leave before someone gets hurt."

The bandit leader strolled to the seat Sakura was standing near and put his gun to her neck. Sakura held onto her sword tightly getting ready to stab him, but of course it was a sakabato and there was no doubt about that! The man licked Sakura neck all the way down hear her collar bone which made her shiver.

"So little lady ya wanna get killed or have some fun with me, what is yer choice?" he asked. The man took the gun away from her throat just long enough that she kicked him in the groin. He fell over to the ground with the wind cut out of him as Sakura unleashed her sword. The other men saw their fallen leader and rushed with daggers to kill her.

"I told you ahead of time, but you men refuse to listen." She sniggered.

One of the men lunged to her left, but she dodged by kicking him in the ribs. Another man grabbed her by the shirt and tried to strangle her, but she countered by using the end of her sword to hit him in the chest. The two men were unconscious, but the leader still had life still left in him. Without Sakura noticing he grabbed her from behind with his arms around her waist so that she couldn't move.

"I told ya that you coulda had fun with me, but now ya gotta go." He said.

Megumi noticed that Sakura was in trouble so she snuck behind the bandit leader and used Sakura sheath to hit him hard on the back of his head. He fell limp and Sakura was free.

"Megumi thank you. I don't know what to say." Sakura replied.

"You don't have to thank me. You just risked your life beating them, but why didn't you use your sword?"

"I'm not fully trained to use it. It would be a waste to kill them with it."

Suddenly the bandits were carried off of the train and the travel began again, but this time with Sakura more determined. It was already dark when she felt movement next to her. Megumi shifted Sakura over so that she landed off of the seat. Her head hit the floor hard with a bang. Megumi laughed as Sakura got up with a large bump on her head.

"Why did you wake me up!" she grouched.

"Sorry, but we are here. We are finally in Tokyo."

_A/N: All right this chapter is over! Yahoo! And I'm as highper as a chimpanzee! Alright if you have any comments or suggestion please review and the next chapter will be written shortly. Thank you for your patronage!_


	3. Sanosuke

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is not my story and never will be.

_A/N: This is my third chapter for this here story got it? No one is allowed to mistreat it in any way. The last two chapters were fairly simple, but this chapter begins the whole middle of the story. I hope you enjoy the third installment._

**Chapter 3: Sanosuke.**

The stars in the sky glittered like lights from New York as the two women unloaded their possessions from the barge. It was only eight o'clock and Sakura felt like it was the next day. She was nervous, but with Megumi being there she had no reason to. The market place was bigger then anywhere Sakura had been to, but of course this was Tokyo. People were roaming about like a pack of bees buzzing about. Sakura wiped the sweat from her forehead as Megumi made a pit stop near a bar.

"Sakura-san can you stay here for a moment?" the woman asked.

"Uh...sure I guess."

Megumi trotted off and into the run down building later to come out with a tall man Sakura thought was familiar. Megumi smiled when she was around him and he looked at Sakura with a clueless look upon his face. She figured that this man was one of Megumi's friends so Sakura bowed politely.

"Hello I am Sakura Johji."

Megumi picked up her bags and motioned for the man. She smiled as she began to introduce him.

"Sakura-kun this is Sanosuke-san." She replied. "Sanosuke this girl will be staying at the Kamiya dojo for a while."

This man was extremely familiar, but still Sakura couldn't place him. His name she remembered from a long time ago, but he hung around a group that was obsessed with government issues. To her this couldn't be the same boy that teased her for losing a marble, the same boy that climbed the tree in her yard, and she still felt as if he was.

"So, you are from Osaka I suspect." Sanosuke replied "I knew a guy that lived there once. Such a bad gambler."

The three turned a corner of one of the streets and noticed that some helpless woman was being beaten by officers with sticks. Sakura's eye twitched as she slowly ran near the incident with Sanosuke looking at her like she was crazy.

"Hey, what are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm going to help that woman."

Sakura ran up to one of the officers and noticed that they looked drunk. One of them was holding a large glass bottle that had a sake sticker on the side. The woman's face was bruised with marks of them hitting her as she cowered. Sakura tackled one of the men to the ground.

"What the hell are you doing brat?" one of the officers asked.

"What has this woman done? I see nothing that she could have done for this." Sakura muttered.

"This is none of your business now leave us be!" The man struck Sakura on the side of her stomach making her drop to the ground. Sanosuke saw this and went to see if she was okay.

"I told you not get involved." He said. Sakura's eyes narrowed as she glanced at the man who hit her with the stick. She got up slowly clutching her side.

"They shouldn't have started anything with me." She sputtered. "Now these drunks will regret it."

Sakura took out her sakabato and went into the crowd of men. The officer, who had told her to leave, turned around and saw Sakura there again. This time there was an aura around her that struck a chill off of his spine.

"I told you to leave missy." He stuttered.

"No one dares to hit me and not pay the price."

"Who the hell do you think you are? We are officers of the law."

"I'm pretty sure I know who I am thanks." She laughed "But are you all that sure who you are?"

The officer pushed another officer out of the way and from his belt he held a dagger. He ran to stab her in the throat but she stepped aside and hit him from behind. His face turned pale and his eyes opened wide when he figured out that this was no ordinary girl.

'Could this be the samurai woman Mr. Takei sent here to find the legendary hotokiri?' he thought 'such speed this swordswoman has.'

The officer fell onto the ground and the others looked at Sakura in shock. There leading official had just been knocked out by a measly girl. Instead of facing her as tipsy as they were, they let the woman they were beating go. The woman had blonde hair and blue eyes and her robes were slightly askew. She bowed as Sakura slid her sakabato back into the sheath.

"Arrigato for saving me." She replied "I was at the store buying an item and they told me that since the store was going out of business it was against the law to buy anything. I told them there was no such thing so they began to beat me."

"Well, that's okay. You don't have to thank me."

The older woman waved goodbye as the three continued down the street and towards the Kamiya dojo. Sanosuke had this smirk on his face the whole time when walking.

"You know how crazy you were just then?" He laughed "I've never met a girl who would do that."

"What the heck does that mean?" Sakura said angrily.

"No it's a compliment." Sanosuke replied just before Sakura whacked him in the head. Megumi, who was ahead of the two, stopped in front of a large gate that seemed to be the dojo. When they entered they were met by two little girls. They ran to Megumi and hugged her legs.

"Ms. Megumi is back!" one of them said.

Sakura smiled. They looked so much like a family. Sanosuke slapped her in the back which made Sakura retaliate. She hit him over the side of his head which left a large bump. When the two were fighting, no one seemed to notice a man with red hair stroll out onto the grass.

"Ms. Megumi, Sanosuke you both are back." The man replied.

"Yeah Uncle Ken was playing with us all day. Kaoru made her yucky food again." One of the little girls said. There was a scream from the doorway to the house.

"What was that you little troublemakers?"

"Well these kids do have a point. Your food does taste awful." Sanosuke teased. The man with red hair noticed Sakura. Her face stared in awe as she saw the cross shaped scar. This was it. The man Aoshi sent her to find. This man was the Hotokiri Botousai.

_A/N: A yeah my life sucks. My writing sucks and just everything about me sucks...Anyway enough of that...please review with any suggestions...ARRIGATO GOZAIMASU!_

Special thanks too...umm no one yet...I was going to write a stupid ending but I guess not...See ya! Kyoko Misami


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